Mentors are accomplished teachers from the schools who are released from teaching full time to support Cotsen fellows as they strive to reach their goals. They meet on average from two to three hours a week with each fellow in classrooms and in individual planning or feedback sessions. Mentors and fellows collect evidence of student responses to lessons and attend observations of other great teachers and conferences together. Mentors then support fellows in their attempts to use ideas they have gained from these experiences in the classroom. Finally, mentors organize monthly inquiry group meetings at which fellows study teaching and learning together.